Grants for Massage Schools
What is a Grant?
Financial aid is funding given to individual students who qualify in order to help them pay for their educational expenses such as tuition, and may include books and room and board. A massage therapy school grant is simply one type of financial aid, and they may be based on need or merit. Grants are similar to a scholarship in that you do not have to repay a grant. They are sometimes called gift aid.
Need-Based Grants
Federal and state governments are the primary funders of need-based grants. Need-based grants are not determined on income alone-even students with a good income may qualify. Other factors that are considered include:
- Your student status
- The number of dependent family members
- Expected family contribution
- The number of dependent family members who are attending college
- Your family assets in addition to your income
Federal Pell Grants and
Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants are two need based grants to check into.
Merit Based Grants
Grants that are merit based require that you meet specific guidelines in order to receive the funds. Some things to know about merit based grants:
- They are closely tied to your grade point average. Many require a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Many states offer grants to resident students.
- There is a certain amount of prestige that accompanies qualifying for a merit-based grant.
- Merit-based grants are not difficult to find. Official state websites and the FAFSA website are good places to find qualification information for your particular state.
- The standards for grants are not unattainable.
How do I qualify?
There are many programs to help individuals get into and pay for massage schools. You may think you are not eligible for any financial aid, but you should apply anyway and see what happens.
- Your first step should be to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You can also pay a fee to have an advisor help you fill it out and be sure you are taking full advantage of the application process. This form needs to be filled out each year.
- Contact the massage school you are interested in to find out if they qualify for Federal Assistance Programs. Talk to their financial aid advisor about grants that the college may give to students interested in massage.
